SALVATORE LIISTRO

Salvatore Liistro was born in Syracuse into a family of Greek origins. He moved to Turin where he started at a very young age his artistic training in the restoration workshops of the chief town of Piedmont, a fundamental experience for the knowledge of ancient sculpture and, in particular, of the wooden Virgin Mary statues of the 15th century. Later he develops his talent as an Artistic Trainer for important sculptors, and at the same time, he begins to work as a restorer, collector and antique dealer. He gets to his activity as a sculptor, at first following a line of continuity with classical figuration: a period that sees him carefully studying ancient and modern masters in search of connections between the past inheritance and contemporary possibilities. He is a tireless experimenter of materials and technologies and likes exploring new expressive possibilities, including the world of the factory, a space able to be transformed into a yard for the practice of art tout court. In this totally open vision, he has recently developed a personal style where the colourful form of mouths close to Pop Art, chosen as a symbol of communication, combines with a precise poetics linked to the environment and the possibility of an open enjoyment of art. In 2017 he was invited by the City of Turin to exhibit in the Municipal Palace at the World Environment Day. Still in 2017 he presented for the first time a series of experimental works in the exhibition Spirito d’Artista. Il mondo visto con altri occhi (Artist's Spirit. The world seen with other eyes), promoted and organized by Accademia Pictor in the historic Bellia Palace in Turin. He also performed Baci Reali (Royal Kisses) at D'Apres vernissage. Tribute to Andy Warhol and the myth of Pop Art, an exhibition project organized by Accademia Pictor within the event Libr@ria promoted by the City of Venaria Reale (Turin). His works are present in Italian and foreign private collections. He lives and works in Turin.